Jill Nassau

JILL NASSAU

My art career has been a journey for me. I started as a Graphic Artist and Illustrator in the late 1960’s. I worked for many Advertising Agencies and Companies and maintained my own Graphic Art business until l990.

I started painting large representational oil portraits in the early 1980’s when I knew I wanted to pursue fine art as a career. I have painted consistently since then experimenting with different styles, different media, and different techniques – some looser and more expressive that my original portrait series. I almost always paint figuratively. I have found over the years that I am very inspired by the seasons and you will find them repeatedly in my work. I also have an affinity for the water...Beach, Pool, and Sand- I love it! Bright colors too! This leads me to my recent Beach, Oil on Canvas paintings. I love the figures on the beach and at the pool dressed in colorful swimwear illuminated by the sun. I am still at work on this series. When on vacation I try to capture new, exciting images to paint.

I like to work on two different things at one time…a sculpture project and a painting project. I have always had an experimental side and after many classes I started experimenting with cast resin relief sculpture on a two dimensional background. When I completed about 10 pieces in this series, my sculpture evolved to free standing, three-dimensional forms.

Around 1998, I was helping an artist friend of mine organize her studio. She had many scrap pieces of stained glass in a box. When I handled these pieces, the beautiful colors and the sparkle of the glass fascinated me. I knew immediately that I wanted to work with glass as a medium. My cut glass sculptures have also evolved – I usually use moments in time out of my memory as a theme. The sculptures have gotten more refined technically as I go along. I started with larger pieces and progressed to a smaller size. I originally cast all my sculptures in resin, but I have found a new self –drying clay that works better. I love most designing the glass pieces to fit each sculpture. My most recent pieces are scenes in my mind that will remain forever like the Circus. “ Elephant Act ” is my most recent piece. I love the Circus and have many ideas utilizing this theme for future sculptures.

My most recent creations of stained glass and painted sculptures combine strong graphic design, intricate glass work and figurative sculpture. These works are narrative interpretations or express precious moments from my memory – things that moved me or experiences that made a lasting impression. My goal is to peak the viewer’s senses with this innovative and dramatic effect.

Both of my painting series, beach and portrait are figurative. I love to paint the atmospheric moods of the beach, the water and the people there. I also try to capture the person’s personality or a defining characteristic of the people I paint in my portrait series.

The psychology of my work charts the richness and complexities of human nature. Friendship, joy, togetherness and love are the hallmark of my work. My sculptures are made of clay or cast resin and covered with beautiful stained glass specially designed for each piece. My paintings are bright, dynamic, cheerful and colorful.

Jill Nassau
St. Louis, Missouri


For more than three decades, Jill Nassau has worked from her St. Louis studio as a graphic designer, illustrator, sculptor and painter. Her many works have been seen at juried shows, cultural exhibitions and in commercial galleries. Several private and corporate patrons include her art in their collections.

Jill earned a Fine Arts Degree (Magna Cum Laude) with an emphasis on painting and sculpture from Maryville University in St. Louis, MO, while at the same time maintaining a thriving Graphic Art business. In addition, she has interned and studied with several prominent professional painters and sculptors throughout the Midwest.

Jill Nassau
Artist Statement

Growing up and active in the “Flower Child” era of the 1960's, I continue to hold dear the philosophy that love and relationship are the core ingredients for one’s happiness. My art highlights subtle but precious moments we human beings share in our journey through life. I work to draw out the viewer’s memory of similar, but often forgotten, life experiences. Upon withdrawing their gaze, if the viewer would smile and think “I can relate,” I’ve succeeded in my task.

My oil on canvas paintings tends to be figurative. In my portraits I try to capture singular events that are uniquely personal. Can one really share the delightful feeling of an ice cream cone on a hot summer’s day? In both my oil series, I try to capture the sometimes humorous, sometimes mystical and interesting ways we all interact in our daily lives. I love the beach and the water as well - beautiful figures clad in colorful attire highlighted by the sun. The presence of the water uplifts me. I love to experience the ocean. Reflections dance on the water, the sounds of the waves are both calming and fierce–there is another worldly feeling that emerges. Brush and paint are the tools that permit me to try to capture these moods.

With my three-dimensional work of cast resin, mixed media reliefs, I combine figurative sculpture with a traditional two-dimensional background. With this technique I am able to produce a unique visual expression. For this series I have chosen to center on the casual interaction of couples. I believe this three-dimensional technique allows the viewer to better see and feel the pleasant intimate human emotions I strive to capture.

My latest work combines clay and resin sculptures covered with beautiful cut glass. This adds sparkling color to these three-dimensional visions. The subjects of these sculptures define relationships or events that remain foremost in my thoughts. I am presently working on Circus Scenes. My memories of the Circus are colorful, exciting, magical times.